Chile and coal

Chile has a relatively minor coal industry with little domestic consumption for electricity and no exports. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that in 2007 only 288,000 tonnes was mined, down from 732,000 in 2005 and only directly employed 696 people. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2009 Chile imported 680,000 short tones of steaming coal from the U.S., which accounted for the bulk of U.S. coal exported to South America.

In January 2011, it was reported that 48% of the power projects to be inaugurated in Chile between 2011 and 2014 will use coal as the main fuel. More than $13.5 billion will be invested in coal-fired plants in the country through 2014.

Coal mining
The USGS lists coal mines that were operating in 2007 as being:

New coal mines
In July 2010, the Minera Isla Reisco company - a joint venture between Chilean fuel distributor and forest company conglomerate Copec and the shipping company Ultramar - announced that its new Mina Invierno coal mine, in the country's Southern Region X11, would replace "close to 30% of [coal] imports." It is one of three coal concessions on the island that was privatised in 2008. Along with reserves in Rio Eduardo and Elena, the three sites are believed to host more than a billion tons of reserves (estimated at 1,302 million tons in 2010). The largest of these deposits lies in the Bío-Bío region, which also hosts almost half Chile's remaining forests. A number of petroleum-fired electric generators have also recently been converted to coal.

Coal fired-power stations
In a presentation to investors in March 2010, the main Cheilean power generators, Endesa, stated that it projected that there would be "9,400 MW of new capacity during next 10 years" in Chile and that "3,300 MW are already under construction". Of the new supply, Endesa projected that coal would account for 38% of the new capacity.

Existing coal fired power stations

 * Bocamina power station, a 128 MW plant operated by Empresa Nacional De Electricidad.

Coal-fired power stations financed by international public investment institutions
Coal-fired power stations financed by international public investment institutions include:
 * Central Termoelectrica Andino power station

Proposed coal-fired power stations

 * Bocamina II power station, a 370 MW plant proposed by Empresa Nacional De Electricidad;
 * RG Generacion power station, a 700-megawatt power station in Coronel, in the Biobio region
 * Complejo Termico Santa Maria de Coronel, a 343 MW plant proposed by Colbun SA.

Approved power stations
In Feb. 2011, Chile’s environment regulator approved MPX Energia SA’s proposed $4.4 billion coal-fired power station project in northern Chile. MPX, controlled by billionaire Eike Batista, plans to build the largest power station in Chile. The power station, Castilla power station, will be built on the Pacific Coast 700 kilometers (435 miles) north of Santiago and provide 2,100 megawatts of energy to Chile’s central power grid.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Global use and production of coal
 * International Information on Coal

External articles
[Category:National and international coal profiles]]